Improvement in gates



ITED STATES PATENT Genres.

WILBUR I. ARMSTRONG, OF ROUKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO IIlMSELF AND SOLOMON DWIGHT, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.`57,/132, dated August '21, 1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WILBUR I. ARMSTRONG, of Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making a part of this specification, which is aperspective view of my gate, shown closed in black lines, halfopen in blue lines, and Wide open in red lines.

My invention has relation to4 that class of farm or road gates that are partly self opening and closing, and which are capable of being opened or closed with balance-weights by passengers without dismounting or leaving the carriage.

To this end my invention consists in supporting the gate between and upon parallel braces or levers, one end of which levers being pivoted near the bottom of the gate and the other to the gate itself, and so arranged 'that balance-weights and cords, when pulled, will open the gate with a slight resistance and close it without violent jars.

My gate may be elit'ectively operated by properly inserting posts and stakes in the ground at suitable distances apart; but, as shown in the drawings, I prefer to use a ground-sill, A, crossing the roadway at a right angle, and a sill, B, crossing the former at a right angle.

The sill A supports at one end a gate-post,

y C, having mortises at the top and bottom to receive the projecting ends of the top and bottom rails of the gate D, which may be made ot' any desired dimensions or material. The gate shown in the drawing is composed ot' vertical bars 1, 2, and 3, having four crossrails mortised into them, while they are secured by tenons into mortises in the top rail, which is heavier than the others.

The sill B has secured to it vertical posts 4, 5, 6, and 7, 4 and 7 being at the opposite ends of the sill, and carrying pulleys on crosspieces, over which the cords 8 and 9, with their balance-weights, are suspended within reach of the passengers. The posts 5 and 6 are situated near the center of the sill B, and are united at top by a cross-piece, 10, to hold them securely together, each of these posts carrying a guide-pulley for the cords S and 9.

Two pairs of levers, E and E andF and F', are pivoted at 1l and 12 to the sides of the sill A, and about the same distance apart as are the second and third vertical bars of the gate. The gate is placed between the levers E and E' and F and F', which are pivoted to the top rail at 13 and 14, so that whatever the position of the gate the levers will be parallel to each other in pairs. The cords 8 and 9 are attached at one end to pins or holes l5 and 16 in the levers E and E at such an angle to the vertical posts 5 and 6 as that,

when the balance-weight is drawn, it will raise the gate from the sill A and release the projecting ends of its top and bottom rails from the mortises in the post G.

The sill A carries braceblocks 17 and 1S between the posts 5 and 6, to brace the gate and hold it vertically when it is let down on the sill, whether opened or closed;

The operation is simple and obvious. The gate being closed, as shown in black lines, the approaching horseman pulls with a smart twitch the cord 8, which raises the supportin g-levers and the gate to the position shown in blue lines, where it is nearly balanced by the weights suspended to the cords; but having still some momentum from the twitch on the cord it falls gently past the center posts to the position shown in red lines, being now fully open; and when the horseman passes the cord 9 he gives a corresponding pull, which throws the gate over upon its levers, and its balance weights permit it to fall gently into the position shown in black lines, supported at one end by the ends of the rails passing into mortises in the post G, and by the brace-blocks at the other.

For the convenience effect-passen gers short cords 19 and 20, one or both having balanceweights, may be attached to the levers E and E' and pass over suitably-placed pulleys in the posts 5 and 6, by pulling which the gate can be opened with ease, as the balance-weights will act whenever the lever is raised to assist in lifting the gate, and will also diminish the violence of its fallwhen returning to rest on.` injurious jars in closing7 substantially as set v the sill, and prevent all injurious jars in openforth.'

in g or closing the gate. Iny testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to scribed my name. secure by Letters Patent, is- WILBUR I. ARMSTRONG. 4

The combination of a gate opened and closed Witnesses: on parallel levers with balance-Weights toas- W. LATHROP, l sist it in opening and prevent its receiving' W. D. ARMSTRONG. 

